A few days passed by in a flash. Nothing much happened during Veritas' travels, except for a couple of things.
While on the way to the Southern City of Alfar, Veritas encountered various trade merchants that were willing to traverse with Veritas.
Naturally, Veritas declined yet he couldn't help but feel that the offers by the merchants would benefit him in the long run. Still, he had to be wary as those merchants could be bandits or assassins.
Another thing was that he encountered various bandits that tried to rob him. He easily dispatched a whole group and suffered no damage.
With that, his journey can be described as smooth.
In a few hours, Veritas would arrive at the Southern City where he would recuperate and rest. Additionally, he was also going to visit the Duke of Alfar as per his Father's request.
He had a long day ahead of him..
It was only 10 in the morning but Veritas could already feel the fatigue of constant travelling.
For the last 4 days, he had been sleeping, driving, or eating. There was no source of entertainment for him so Veritas was quite bored.
'I want to gamble..'
Alas, he cannot gamble. He needed to complete his trial and focus on that. After doing so, he would gamble much to his heart's desire.
That said, Veritas rationed his supplies well. His food could still last at least a month or so, his essentials are barely touched, and the potions that were provided were still intact.
He considered himself to be lucky as he didn't encounter any peril in his travels. Although there were a few bandits, it was nothing when compared to the might of Veritas.
From childhood, Veritas was exposed to the wonders of the blade. His teacher, Mikella, taught him the basics and hardships of wielding one. At the fair age of 7, Veritas was already capable of beating adult Knights. This went further until he was 12 where he was already deemed a swordmaster.
Maybe it was due to the genetics of royalty that he was potent in handling the blade. But still, mastering the unique swordplay of Elrod could take years or even decades!
Elrod's swordplay consisted of flowing as if one were dancing. It was related to feeling the movement and the winds and moving accordingly. The swordsmen and women of Elrod, tend to have great counterattacks and intuition.
By sensing the winds around them, they could act much more quickly and respond faster! If a common swordsman were to describe the swordplay of Elrod. Then he would say that they fought like air.
Sometimes, they felt nonexistent and bore no ill-will, and sometimes.. they were like a storm that flashes by in an instant.
Many swordsmen try to learn the unique swordplay of Elrod but many have failed. Only a couple knights in Elrod could master such swordplay. Such individuals were the Head of the Wielders and Head of the Knights.
Additionally, the royal family takes pride in mastering this swordplay so they were also potent and masters in wielding the blade.
The swordplay of Elrod derived into 4 different styles which were based on the regions.
The Northern Style which was a derivative of the original Elrod swordplay, is an elegance wherein it features the cold breeze of the north. It doesn't expend much movement but each step and gesture is calculated by the user. It's like a quick flash that finds an opportunity to strike in an instant.
If one were to fight a Northerner, then they would need to keep their defenses up as one mistake could lead to an instant defeat.
As for the Southern Style, it is entirely opposite to the style of the North. If the Northern Style were to be deemed as unmoving and restrained, then the Southern Style would be considered as dancing with the Winds.
This is a defensive style that focuses more on dodging and counter-attacking. The Northern and Southern Styles are known to contradict each other in battle.
The Western Style is very different from the aforementioned. It is a style that deals with striking first and ending the battle quickly. As if it were a fast humid gale that approached quickly. The users of this style strike down with utmost precision, almost never missing a target.
When compared to the Northern, Southern, and Western Style, the Eastern Style could be considered to be the most fiercest out of the three. It feels like a storm crackling thunder when a user strikes. It brings out the user's inner strength and crashes down the opponents quickly.
Swordsmen of the Eastern Style are considered to be barbarians that only know how to fight. But it is so much more than that, every strike that the swordsmen deal is calculated. They search for the weak points of the opponent and strike down with ferociousness.
They would do everything to shatter the sword of their foe by striking in a singular point without missing. It could be said that their precision is comparable to that of the Western Style.
Veritas is a master of the Elrod Style, which was the original swordplay technique. Only those in the royal family and a few others could master the style. It was said that derivatives were formed from the 4 regions because the Elrod Style was that hard to master.
That said, Veritas was not an easy opponent to be trifled with.
Veritas thought about learning the other styles but that would be something that he was to learn in the future.
For now, he had to focus on the task of slaying the Gargoyle Knight.
There were other perks to this, Veritas could also explore the unknown Ruins of Orph. As an individual enthralled by the tales that his Mother told him when he was but a mere child, Veritas was always curious about the different pieces of history in the world.
Not only that, but he liked seeking the secrets within mysteries, he liked searching for the truth behind them, and he loved the process of doing so.
Over the countless years that he had lived in Elrod, Veritas already depleted all the books in the royal library. He read studies, researches, anthologies, history books. and many more!
Thus, he was bustling in knowledge, he knew more than a normal person did.
If his brother was book-smart, making theories and technical stuff. Then, Veritas would be an empirical learner, proving theories to the test and applying them to the real world.
They were quite opposite, yet also similar in nature.
As Veritas pondered about different things, he could see a large gate in the distance. There were two large castle pillars beside it, followed by a girthy wall that traversed through the landscape.
However, Veritas could see some peculiar designs and patterns. The gates were cylindrical in nature, but there were various arcs the stoop atop of it. There were stones that looked as if they were flowing and there were weird designs that symbolized a dove.
All-in-all, the structural aesthetic of the Southern City was quite weird.
'I guess that suits their theme of freedom.'
Veritas recalled the various styles of swordplay. Northern is a stern and cold style. Southern is a style that moves like the wind. Western was much more precise and quick. And Eastern is fierce yet calculative.
Veritas didn't really expect the theme of their swordplay to match their aesthetics but he paid it no mind.
This was the place that he'd stay for a couple of weeks, or even months!
Reaching the peculiar gate of the Southern City, Veritas saw the knights checking in through the various carriages.
There was quite a long line of them so Veritas needed to wait for a couple of minutes.
He saw normal carriages that looked mundane and he also saw carriages with extravagant design, reflecting the personality of their owner.
After a few minutes had passed it was Veritas' turn to enter. The knights immediately recognized his face and confirmed his identity.
"Your majesty, the Prince! What is your purpose for coming in the Southern City?"
"It is confidential, but the King should've already informed your Duke of my arrival, no?"
The Knights then looked towards each other and whispered under their breath.
"I apologize for the delay! There was a letter sent to us, I made a mistake in asking. Please go on, your majesty.."
"Pay it no mind.. Thank you for your loyalty.."
With that, Veritas was met with the scenery that is the Southern City.
The buildings had a unique design to them, people were dressed weirdly as if they were similar to Bello, there were taverns with crazy designs, and many more..
Veritas felt unfamiliar with the new sight, but he adjusted himself so as to not be discomforted.
The Southern City looked like it was a City of Fashion, where people had the freedom to dress themselves in terms of their personality. Wherever Veritas looked, he could see how people dressed and could guess what they were like on the inside.
There was a woman wearing black glasses, long regal black dress, black heels, and were equipped with various black ornaments.
There was also a man wearing bright colors such as cyan, light green, yellow, and many more. It lightly hurt Veritas' eye so he looked away immediately.
After finally making his way to his last destination, Veritas was now headed towards the Duke's manor. Following the instructions given by his Father, Veritas traversed through the flamboyant streets and made his way to the direction of the manor...